Belt-fed and IAR-style rifles are something that have lived in obscurity within the civilian sector of our industry, with no real way to utilize their strengths properly—that is, until recently. With new legal developments and mechanical improvements made to the numerous forced reset devices available, these rifles are now very capable in a civilian context, while remaining within the confines of the law.
This specific belt-fed Forced Reset Rifle featured in our Civilian Belt-Fed video is based around the FightLite MCR Professional series upper receiver. This is the more expensive option, but it comes with some of the things you need to get going, like the mag adapter, buffer kit, and upgrades like the FightLite RIP brake, the MCR extended bolt catch, and a dry-film coating inside the upper receiver.
The specific model we bought originally came with a 16″ barrel, but we also purchased a separate 12.5″ barrel to shorten up the package and better match our M249 SAW with a PARA barrel. Since the barrels are swappable, this is an easy swapover from 16″ to 12.5″.
The barrels are swapped by locking the bolt to the rear, depressing the tab at the front of the receiver, and pulling the barrel straight out of the handguard. We found this tab to be very stiff, and it needs to be depressed when removing and installing the barrel while properly aligning the OP rod and barrel pin. This makes the mechanism slightly slower and clunkier than the one found on the M249, but it is still relatively quick with some practice.
The optic setup on this rifle is one we’re pretty familiar with—an EOTECH XPS 2-1 and G45 Magnifier. This optic combo keeps the optic height manageable for the taller receiver while providing a quick change between 1x and 5x magnification.
For the light and laser, we chose a SureFire M340C and a B.E. Meyers MAWL. The M340C isn’t the most powerful light on the market, but it’s plenty usable, and with SureFire’s Pro mount, it could easily be swapped out for a newer Turbo series should we need a little more throw.
As for the MAWL, it’s one of our favorite civilian class lasers alongside the Wilcox Raid Xe. Its VCSEL illuminator provides excellent IR illumination in a compact package that fits the side rail of this rifle really well.
No machinegun, uhhh… Forced Reset Rifle is complete without a sturdy bipod. The ACCU-TAC bipod chosen for this loadout fits the bill extremely well and provides a solid base to control this rifle’s high fire rate.
The lower used is from Black Widow Firearms and is purpose-built for use with belt-fed uppers like the MCR. It features a full M-16 fire control pocket, precut PDQ lever slot, and a shortened magwell with an integrated dovetail for belt-fed magazines and drums. This shortened magwell greatly helps with ground clearance when not using standard mags, allowing you to be closer to the ground and run shorter bipods.
The star of the show in this build is the forced reset trigger, the Rare Breed FRT-15L3 3-position model. This trigger functioned perfectly for us in the 5000+ rounds of testing and still offers a decent semi-auto trigger pull. That being said, there are tons of Forced Reset Devices on the market right now that work well, including the Super Safety.
The stock we chose for this build is the B5 Collapsible Precision Stock. The adjustable cheek riser provided a solid cheekweld for long strings of fire while offsetting the tall receiver height on this upper.
Of note, when fully collapsed, the charging handle does interfere slightly with the stock; this can either be trimmed away or you can run the stock a few notches out, like we did.
The MCR utilizes a short-stroke gas piston system with a 4-position adjustable gas block. We found that our setup runs well all the way open, but it will depend on your ammo choice, suppressor, and other factors.
We’re thoroughly sold on the Stoner “DI” gas system for our standard rifles, but the gas tubes are a weakness in a system meant for long, repeated strings of fire. While piston guns have downsides, they are very durable and capable of running through extreme heat.
The suppressor we used was a Huxwrk FLOW556K. It’s a very compact, lightweight can, but we mainly used it to reduce gas blowback, and it worked well for that. We got this can very hot, and the baffles took a beating, so it probably isn’t the best long-term solution for a belt-fed rifle. See the post-test baffle image HERE.
The FightLite’s feeding mechanism is very similar to the M249’s. However, it lacks the tab that holds links in the feed tray when it is open, allowing your belt to slide out of the feed tray. When first reloading the MCR, this can be tricky, but it can be trained around. For the MCR to be a more well-rounded belt-fed upper, we’d like to see the addition of this tab in newer models.
Brandon’s AC1.5 used with this rifle is kitted out with our MOLLE Placard with a Shaw Concepts BFG Pouch and our Medium Item Pouch alongside. This setup allows Brandon to carry one belt, whether it be a 100-round soft magazine or a 200-round box, as well as one standard magazine, or even a SureFire 60-round, as shown.
By this point, you may be asking how the FightLite compares to the M249, and well, we think it holds its own, considering obtainability, legal limitations, performance, and price.
The FightLite in this loadout article costs around 10k, without the light and laser. That seems like a lot, but compared to the civilian version of the M249, the M249S, it really isn’t bad.
At the time of writing this, you can buy an M249S for around 10.5k. This gets you a completely bare rifle that is both closed-bolt and semi-auto. To make the M249S automatic requires a pretty extensive conversion process that needs hard-to-acquire parts, machinery, and someone who knows what they’re doing, not to mention the 07/02 SOT you’ll need to legally have this work performed. With transferable examples being nearly non-existent and insanely expensive, the M249 just isn’t an option for the average citizen… yet.
In conclusion, the FightLite is a solid option if you want to go a step above the IAR-style mag-fed uppers and further bridge the capability gap between military belt-feds and civilian auto-rifles.
Check the video below for a more in-depth look at our thoughts about the MCR, what can be improved, and the recent trend of forced reset rifles.
TECHNICAL SPECS & FURTHER DETAILS
| FIGHTLITE MCR | M249 SAW | |
| Weight | 13.40 lbs | 18.50 lbs |
| Weight (Suppressed) | 14.05 lbs (Flow 556K) | 19.65 lbs (KAC NT4) |
| OAL | 32.50″ (12.5″) | 32.62″ (13.7″ Para) |
| OAL (Suppressed) | 35.75″ (12.5″) | 37.25″ (13.7″ Para) |
| Fire Rate (Approx.) | 850 RPM | 775 RPM |
| Fire Modes | Safe – Semi – Forced Reset | Safe – Full |
| Bolt Operation | Closed Bolt | Open Bolt |
| Gas System | Short-Stroke Gas Piston | Long-Stroke Gas Piston |